Tennis Greatness Quotes

Since I was little, I've watched Roger play on TV. To me, he plays almost perfect tennis. His technique is perfect. I also like him at the human level; he's a very good person on and off the court.

I remember Agassi playing Federer in Basel, Switzerland in 1998, and Andre was already saying at that time that Federer would be tough. Usually at the time players are 17, you can see if they will be great.

Many say that (Pete) Sampras is the greatest player. But I say with all due respect to the rest, that he (Roger Federer) is the most complete player in the world so far.

You can find flaws in Agassi and Sampras, but Federer has none.

John McEnroe...was arguably the best serve-and-volley man of all time, but then McEnroe was an exception to pretty much every predictive norm there was. At his peak (say 1980 to 1984), he was the greatest tennis player who ever lived-the most talented, the most beautiful, the most tormented: a genius. For me, watching McEnroe don a blue polyester blazer and do stiff lame truistic color commentary for TV is like watching Faulkner do a Gap ad.

You'd have to think that if he'd been around today, Rod Laver would have been Rod Laver.

Billie Jean King is one of the all-time tennis greats; she's one of the superstars. She's ready for the big one, but she doesn't stand a chance against me. Women's tennis is so far beneath men's tennis; that's what makes the contest with a 55-year-old man the greatest contest of all time.

If you want to be a tennis player, then mould yourself on Roger Federer. I won three Wimbledon titles and I wish I could play like him.

My goal one day is to be in the same sentence as Rod Laver and Ken Rosewall. If I can match them for 10 years, I'd be in their company. They were class acts. That's what I'd like to be.

I don't think there is ever going to be another Serena Williams.

He [Roger Federer] is the greatest natural talent in tennis I've ever seen. I love to watch the guy play, he's an awesome talent

If Roger stopped right now and never won another match, to me he'd already be one of the greatest players to ever play the game. To me, he's the greatest all around talent that I've ever seen.

Roger [Federer], he brought tennis... one level higher. Normally he toys with everybody. With all respect to other players, he does whatever he wants on the court against them. It's incredible what kind of game he can play.

I'm not the best player in the history of tennis. I think I'm amongst the best. That's true. That's enough for me.

Roger Federer certainly is my claim to be the best of all time - if there is such a thing. With Rafael Nadal not far behind.

You can't be considered a great player unless you win Wimbledon. That's the way it is.

Serena's always been one of the best, and she will forever be one of the best tennis players in women's tennis.

You see Boris Becker, Mats Wilander, Nadal, Pete Sampras - they were all great when they were young. As a coach, you can see that type of talent at an early age.

We have a guy from Switzerland who is just playing the game in a way I haven't seen anyone - and I mean anyone - play before. How fortunate we are to be able to see that. If he stays healthy and motivated - and the wonderful feel he has stays with him - he is the kind of guy who can overtake the greatest.

Serena Williams is the greatest tennis player of all time, the greatest female athlete of all time, the greatest athlete of all time.

But, then, Sampras won Wimbledon six times and that automatically puts him among the greatest.

I'd like to think I could have and should have won more, but that's not the point. And I was at the point where I was playing great tennis in the mid 80s - the type of tennis people hadn't seen before - and I was very proud of that.

Federer can be the best ever; he has the potential. The only question is whether he has the desire.